So you believe Jesus died on the cross to motivate you to try harder?
The reason he had to die is because all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags before God. We can never earn eternal life, therefore it must be given as a gift.
James 2 is not talking about being saved from hell. It is talking about being saved from punishment of God on this earth. If you do not have mercy on others, God will not have mercy on you, and having "faith" will not save you from his judgement.
James 2 KJV
12 - So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.
13 - For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
14 - What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Hebrews 18 KJV
30 - Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 - It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Proof James 2 is not talking about justifcation by works for eternal life...
James 2 KJV
20 - But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 - Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Romans 4 KJV
2 - For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
3 - For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 - Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 - But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Most people were not even aware the Pharisees were sinners because they acted so holy all the time.
In the same way, if you look at people like Joel Osteen, he seems like a perfect, holy man.
That is why "ye shall know them by their fruits" has nothing to do with the fruits of the spirit or good deeds a person does.
Joel Osteen appears outwardly to have all the fruits of the spirit, but is a false prophet.
David in the bible commited adultery and murder, but he was not a false prophet.
If you are judging a man by his works or deeds, you will never know if he is a Christian. The only thing you can look at is his gospel. The sins in his life are completely irrelevant.
The fact that they are telling people to keep the law, and stop sinning, when they themselves are full of sin!
"For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers." - Matthew 23:4 KJV
Once you realize eternal life is completely free, you can no longer be considered a hypocrite because you realize salvation has nothing to do with quitting your sin.
The pharisees were going around telling people to keep the law, when they themselves did not even keep it!
"Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law? Why go ye about to kill me?" - John 7:19 KJV
Jesus talking to false prophets...
Matthew 23:27-28 KJV
27 - Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.”
28 - Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
This is why they are called wolves in sheeps clothing!
All false prophets do good deeds.
This is why they cannot be identified by their works.
Matthew 7 says "ye shall know them by their fruits". If this was talking about works, then it would be impossible to identify false prophets from true prophets since all false prophets act holy in front of men.
The only way to identify a false prophet is their false gospel.
Repentance is not repentance of sin.
The repentance required for eternal life is a "change of mind" to Trust in Jesus Christ for eternal life. It has nothing to do with promising to quit your sin.
What is the baptism of repentance?
"John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." - Acts 19:4 KJV
Fruits in Matthew 7 is not talking about works. It is talking about words. You know a false prophet by his false gospel.
Matthew 12:33-35 KJV
33 - Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
34 - O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 - A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
God repents more than anyone in the entire bible.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=Repent
Why? Because the word repent has nothing to do with sin. In most verses it is referring to a change of mind.
The adulterous woman called Jesus LORD and was most likely already saved.
There is a distinct difference between what is required to be saved, and how you should behave after you are saved. Once you are saved you SHOULD try to stop sinning, but don't think for one moment that's your ticket into heaven.
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." - Galatians 2:16 KJV
What is repentance?
God repents more than anyone in the bible.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/search.php?hs=1&q=Repent
The only repentance which is required for salvation is trusting in Christ to save you. The bible never says you must repent of sin.
The meaning of repentance for salvation:
"John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus." - Acts 19:4
Repentance is not the same thing as repentance of sin. The bible never says you must repent of your sins, only repent.
Correct.
Eternal life is a free gift.
Once you receive that free gift, you can never lose it no matter how much you sin.
However, if you continue in sin once receiving eternal life, God will chasten and disipline you on earth, but you can never lose your eternal life.
Hebrews 12:6-8
6 - For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
7 - If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?
8 - But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
You must recognize you are a sinner, and need a saviour, but you don't receive eternal life by quitting your sin because no man has ever quit his sin!
That's why we need Jesus to save us.
I am not going to heaven because I promised God I would "stop sinning". I am going to heaven because Christ died for my sins and I accepted his free gift of eternal life!
False gospel.
You do not have to repent of your sins or obey God to receive eternal life. It is a free gift paid for by Jesus Christ. Not of works lest any man should boast.
THE FREE GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE:
The story that I heard was some trolls were calling the OK sign a symbol of white supremacy to troll the media, and then the media fell for it and now thinks its a symbol of white supremacy.
P.S. hopefully youre not misschelle the man
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." - Romans 11:6 KJV